Shadow Play
by Tsukihara Tarou
Summary: Sometimes true love can be closer than you think. Yaoi, unbetaed, shapeshifting, canonish AU. Naruto/Jiraiya, Naruto/Sasuke, hinted Jiraiya/Naruto and Jiraiya/Orochimaru.


DISCLAIMER: Naruto is a series originally created by Kishimoto Masashi. This is a work of fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.

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><p>The ryokan was definitely more high-class than the majority of inns they'd stayed in so far.<p>

Surrounded by lush mountainside forests, it was located in the heart of the famous hot springs area in Yu no Kuni, only hours from the northeast Fire border. The holiday spot had mostly been saved from the destruction of the Third Shinobi War, so the majority of its wooden houses and inns were very old and renowned by their architectural beauty, and the town that had spread along the foot of the onsen-speckled mountain was teeming with tourists and passengers from various countries, most of them civilians. However, the large number of annual visitors hadn't had any significant effect on the general ambience of the place that prided itself for having an exceptionally informal and relaxed atmosphere, and even Naruto couldn't help but feel laid-back and calm despite the gradually growing excitement inside of him.

After nearly three years on the road, they were finally heading back to Konoha.

He elbowed his older companion who was leaning on the reception counter and flirting unabashedly with the poor lady behind it until a room key was shoved in his hand and he was shooed off with an absent-minded but somewhat rough pat on his shoulder.

The room was spacious and traditionally furnished with tatami flooring, a large table for four, futons and even a tokonoma with some flowers and a locally themed scroll painting hanging on the wall. It had a direct access to a beautiful garden with an immaculately maintained lawn and a vast, crescent-shaped pool that had been divided into several smaller compartments. There were no fences or barriers in sight, and Naruto groaned when he realized that it was probably a mixed onsen, meant for everyone staying in the ryokan - regardless of gender.

He really hoped the stupid Ero-sennin wouldn't embarrass him this time.

To Naruto's amazement, Jiraiya followed his apprentice to their room only a quarter of an hour later, changed into the gray cotton yukata that the inn provided to its guests and set his writing materials and the small desk he'd brought with him next to the wide, paned window that opened to the garden. The usual bottle of sake that he placed on the windowsill appeared to be half empty, so the sennin clearly had no intention of getting drunk this time, which made Naruto suspicious.

"Are you going to start writing _again_?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Didn't we agree that we should cross the border the day after tomorrow?"

"Actually, I thought we could stay here for at least a week. This ryokan is my favorite retreat in the area, and I'd like to get something done before we get to Konoha, as I'm sure Tsunade will do her best to keep me busy once she finds out we've returned."

"A whole week?!" Naruto's voice rose an octave, and Jiraiya's features hardened, but only briefly.

"We've been traveling for over two years; surely you can wait a little longer."

"I've been dreaming about Ichiraku's for months now!"

"I think I've seen a ramen stand in this town, too."

"But it's not the same," Naruto wailed. "It's never the same. There hasn't been a single place that would've lived up to my expectations so far."

Jiraiya took off his hitaiate and ruffled his thick, white hair with a groan. "You're just too damn picky, that's all. Anyway, you should make use of the extra time and catch up with those scrolls I gave you two months ago. You've hardly even opened them since."

Naruto grumbled in protest and flopped down on his back on the floor, studying the details of the high dark wood ceiling above and listening to the sennin who began to grind an ink stick against the ink stone at a steady, almost meditative pace.

He rarely complained, and when he did, he was usually half joking, but this time Naruto was thoroughly put out by the sennin's decision. It didn't seem fair, and he wondered whether the older man had some underlying reasons - other than writing - to put off the rest of the journey.

Konoha.

Whenever he thought about his home village, there was a rush of familiar faces and voices, sounds and emotions in his head.

Iruka-sensei, blushing fiercely at Kakashi-sensei's compliments.

Kakashi-sensei, sitting up on a tree branch, looking suspiciously carefree and reading his porn.

Konohamaru and his notorious sexy no jutsu brunettes.

Sasuke.

Sakura, yelling at Kakashi-sensei for being late again.

Sasuke...

How would the young Uchiha look like after all this time? He was 17 now, only three months older than Naruto.

Would he be a spitting image of his brother, Itachi?

Naruto snickered at the mental image of his friend with a long hair, earning an amused look from Jiraiya who shook his head at the boy's antics before getting back to his latest masterpiece in making.

The lazy afternoon darkened into an uneventful evening - except that for some inexplicable reason (and Naruto didn't even want to know why) they were served a dinner in the room on the house. The food was a bit too fancy for his tastes, and he didn't particularly care for fish that much, but he had to admit that it was refreshing to have something other than fast food for a change.

The kimono-clad room maid was young, pretty and shy and seemed to have a serious crush on the sennin who was joking and teasing the girl in his usual benevolent manner, but as soon as the dishes had been cleared from the room and they were alone again, Jiraiya slapped his hands on his thighs and regarded Naruto with solemn look on his face.

"Would you like to take a bath right now, or should we wait for the food to settle?"

Naruto leaned back and patted his stomach with a grunt. "If the water's not too hot, it's fine. I'd also like to hit the sack a bit earlier tonight, if that's alright with you."

"Sure."

While the small in-house toilet was located next to the main entrance of the room, the actual "bathroom" was a stylish wood-and-stone structured booth outside on the porch, which made it easy to take a shower before walking - or, like Naruto felt like doing, sneaking - across the wide open lawn to the pool that was warmly lit by both underwater and cleverly concealed garden lights.

The water wasn't nearly as scorching hot as it had sometimes been in the natural onsens they'd bathed in before, and Naruto closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh of contentment when he settled in a cozy corner at the center of the pool, lifting his heavy eyelids a fraction only when the sennin joined him a little while later.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Jiraiya cleared his throat, and Naruto perked up immediately.

"What's with all that brooding tonight? Are you still upset because we'll be staying here longer than you expected?"

"Nah, not really."

"So, what's bothering you then?"

"Sasuke."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows and flashed the boy a lopsided grin. "You're not exactly shy about your feelings for him, are you?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto frowned, and the older man wiped his face with his small towel with a sigh.

"Aren't you in love with him?"

"He's my friend and brother. I would never - !"

Naruto's heated retort prompted Jiraiya to raise his hand appeasingly.

"But it's getting rather obvious that you're thinking about him day and night. You even call out his name in your sleep sometimes. Look, I'm not saying this to provoke you, but sometimes I can't help but wonder how deep your... devotion for him might be."

Naruto groaned and sunk deeper into the hazy, turquoise green water until it reached up to his chin. "It's just that the closer we get to Konoha, the closer I get to him. I know it sounds weird, and I'm fully aware that he's not there anymore, but I can still see him everywhere, I still expect him to walk out of these woods with his hands in his pockets, looking exactly like he did three years ago."

"There's nothing wrong with having romantic feelings towards a man." Jiraiya's eyes unfocused when he leaned his head against the gray, mossy rock ledge of the pool with a hint of a drowsy smile on his face. "Seems to me like you are at least strongly attracted to him, no matter how hard you try to deny it."

"I'm not trying to deny anything. I simply don't know what I'm... " The boy squirmed, his eyebrows knitted together, his blue eyes serious. "I don't want to call it 'love'."

"I think I know what you mean."

Naruto could hear some women laugh at the other end of the pool, but to his surprise, Jiraiya's expression remained serene and thoughtful as if he'd suddenly turned deaf to the world.

It was nice, though, just the two of them in their own private spot, the old, gnarled pine trees that surrounded the onsen creaking quietly in the warm, brisk wind that rose from the valley below. Naruto had grown comfortable with Jiraiya's presence over the years; the steady, powerful flow of the sennin's chakra was soothing, and there was hardly any subject they hadn't already touched or debated over, but emotions...

If he had a choice, he'd rather not think - or talk - about them at all.

"Ero-sennin?"

"Hmh?"

"Would you marry Tsunade-baachan if she asked you to?"

Jiraiya's brown eyes widened, and he coughed, struggling to keep his countenance. "I don't know. I might give it some thought, though. We've known each other so long. But don't get me wrong - I do care about her a lot. She's an amazing woman."

"Even if she dropped the henge?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Even without the henge, yes."

"So you're not quite as shallow as I thought you'd be after all."

"Aw, thank you."

Naruto poked the sennin in the arm before sliding underwater slowly and letting his body drift weightless in the liquid heat, and he could feel the tension in his body dissolve into the green oblivion around him until he was forced to surface for some air again.

It had been a while since he'd slept as soundly as he did that night, and waking up to Jiraiya's warm hand shaking him gently by the shoulder and the sound of the breakfast being set on the table was a luxury he knew he was going to miss once their journey would, at long last, be over.

So, life was good - or at least it had been until Jiraiya requested him to take a look at the first few pages of the story he'd began to work on.

Naruto usually found both the general style and the choice of subject in the sennin's perverse novels embarrassing, if not somewhat irritating, too, but after reading what Jiraiya had managed to write during their stay in the ryokan, he realized that this time around, the older man was up to something completely different.

"What is this? It doesn't look like your usual stuff at all."

Jiraiya - who'd been sitting next his temporary desk, just watching the boy read - smiled. "Just a sequel to something I wrote a long, long time ago. Do you like it?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well, I do think the main character - or I assume he is the main character - is interesting. Is this going to be yet another smutty romance, or...?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure yet. I'd like to experiment with something more realistic now."

"Oh. That's new. Anyway, I think this is way better than anything I've read from you so far."

"Excellent. Thank you."

"Yesterday, you said there was a ramen stand in this town somewhere," Naruto said as he handed the manuscript back to the sennin whose expression switched from smug to musing in nanoseconds.

"Yes, there is one, but I can't remember whether it was on the east or the west side of the town, so you just have to go and look for it yourself. If I were you, I'd check out the east first, though... I have a vague memory that I stumbled upon it once when I was on my way back from the seaside."

"Right. Would you like me to I bring back some for you as well?" Naruto walked over to the door and grabbed his jacket, glancing back over his shoulder at the man who still had an indecipherable look on his face.

Jiraiya tapped his chin with the handle of his brush. "No, it's fine. I think I'll ask the maid to get me something from the ryokan kitchen."

The weather was sunny and humid, and Naruto was soon forced to take off his coat and wrap it around his waist as he ran downhill along a winding cobble road to the town below. After roaming through the narrow streets aimlessly and cursing at the sennin's poor memory for nearly half an hour, it eventually dawned on him that the east side of the town was basically just an ordinary suburb with some tiny shops scattered here and there, so the likelihood of finding a ramen stall in the area was virtually nonexistent.

Jumping from roof to roof, he then took a shortcut to the other end of the town, and as expected, the main shopping district was indeed located in the west, although most of the restaurants were either yakiniku or soba places. When he finally spotted the ramen stand at the edge of a small, picturesque market square, it was the middle of lunch time and he had to wait in line for over fifteen minutes to get his usual large serving of pork miso ramen. However, the food turned out to be surprisingly tasty, so Naruto queued for another serving patiently, wolfed it down, too, and headed back to the inn with a contented beam across his face.

He'd hardly walked in through the door when he realized that something was totally out of place in their room.

"Jiraiya?"

Stepping in further, he blinked his eyes furiously as his brain simply refused to take in the view that opened up before him.

He froze.

On the broad, wooden windowsill next to Jiraiya's desk sat a young man wearing nothing but a pair of loose, pale gray cotton pants, his black hair falling over his eyes and his forearm resting on his drawn-up knee as he was gazing out of the window, his pose casual but strangely refined.

At first, Naruto was convinced that the vision wasn't real, that he was simply imagining things or trapped in a weird genjutsu, but then the boy turned his head, looked him straight in the eyes and smiled.

"How far did you go? I was beginning to worry that you'd actually managed to get lost somehow."

"Sasuke?!"

His breath caught, and the whole world came to a halt around him.

No, it could _not_ be Sasuke.

The voice did give him a déjà vu, the appearance was - more or less - a perfect match, but there was no way -

"Who are you?" Naruto's features hardened instantly, and his posture tensed. "Where's Jiraiya?"

"You silly brat, are you telling me that after all this time we've wasted on practicing, you're still not able to recognize even half-concealed chakra?"

There was a sudden, strong burst of the familiar energy in the room, and Naruto's knees nearly buckled in relief, but his heart was pounding wildly, and he had to prop himself against the nearby wall for support as the ultimate wave of realization hit him straight in the face.

"Ero-sennin...!"

"Are you alright?" Jiraiya's expression was concerned, and Naruto both nodded and shook his head at the same time. "I apologize, I didn't realize this would make you so upset. Do you want me to change back?"

"No!" Naruto bounced forward but stopped in the middle of the room, flushed and confused. "I just don't understand. Why are you - ?"

"This is an old jutsu that popped in my mind after you mentioned Tsunade's henge in the onsen last night. I haven't used it since I was in my twenties, so I wasn't sure if I was able to do it anymore, and because I wanted to surprise you, I figured it was better if you stayed away a little longer. Did you find the stand, by the way?"

"I did, but - hey, don't try to change the subject!"

To watch a mischievous grin spread on his friend's face was something Naruto was sure he'd never forget. "Oh man, you're scary. What is that technique anyway?"

"It's a henge, too, but not quite your average one. All you need is an item that has some of your target's genetic material left on it," Jiraiya pointed at Sasuke's hitaiate that was peeking out of the side pocked of Naruto's backpack, "and a painstakingly long set of seals to adjust the age and to get the haircut and the rest of the physical details right, but as you can see, the results can be astounding. It's not of any use on the battlefield, but for an advanced spy like me... "

"Wait - so you really do look exactly like Sasuke does _right now_?" Naruto took some hesitant steps towards the other boy who scratched his nose, pondering.

"Well, of course there's no way to be sure whether his haircut has stayed the same or whether he's lost or gained some muscle over the years, but yes, I think this should be as accurate as one can get."

"I... I... Let me have a good look at you." Naruto's voice was laced with awe when he finally peeled off his jacket and sat down in front of the half-naked apparition of statuesque beauty. "Gosh."

"Is this how you've imagined him all along?" Jiraiya's voice was pure velvet, and Naruto nodded slowly.

"It's - you're perfect."

"Is there anything in particular you'd like me to do?"

"No. Just stay there. Don't move."

"I'm not going anywhere." The corner of the boy's mouth twitched, and Naruto swallowed.

The color of Jiraiya's... Sasuke's skin was amazing. The creamy porcelain beige that had a matte gloss to it in the bright sunlight contrasted beautifully to the charcoal black eyes and hair, inviting Naruto to reach out his hands and to touch the boy's broad shoulders questioningly.

"Is this okay?"

"Sure, go ahead."

The youth before him could only be described as perfection.

Proportionate, firm pectorals and small, light brown nipples - skimming the callous palms of his hands over them turned them into erect, chocolate-colored pebbles and made him salivate at the sight. Fine, distinctive deltoids and biceps - Naruto ran his thumbs over them as he let his hands slide down along the boy's arms. Some dark but fairly thin hair on the forearms - Naruto could've sworn he'd never noticed it before - and finally a warm pair of hands that were notably smaller than his own.

"He's quite a charming mixture of masculine and feminine, isn't he?"

Jiraiya's whisper interrupted his careful examination, and Naruto made a small sound of agreement in the back of his throat, lifting his gaze and hands to the boy's face before sinking his fingers into that black mass of hair that felt remarkably different from his own.

"I think I understand why he never bothers to comb it down," Naruto said, and Jiraiya nodded.

"Yes, it is rather thick and coarse, almost like my own back when I was a kid."

"Now that mop of yours isn't even hair anymore, it's a thicket."

Jiraiya growled and aimed a mock punch at the young shinobi's stomach, forcing him to dodge and pull back briefly - but only briefly.

Sasuke's _face_.

"Did you ever envy him for his looks?" Jiraiya asked and bit on his lip nervously when he realized that Naruto was staring at his mouth almost reverently.

"At one point, yeah, I guess I did. But I rather like what I see in the mirror these days."

Naruto fully expected Jiraiya to scoff at his answer, but the boy remained quiet, and he raised his hands again, cupping his friend's face before shifting even closer to have a better look at the details he'd never bothered to pay attention to before.

The arch of Sasuke's eyebrows was ridiculously delicate and indisputably feminine. Naruto's fingertips traced them down to the outer corners of those big, almond-shaped eyes, and when Jiraiya's eyes fluttered shut, he studied the long, black lashes for a while before moving even further down to feel the texture of his lips.

Would this be the first - and the last - chance he'd ever get to be this intimate with his unattainable friend?

And yet, this creature, no matter how alive, how solid he felt under his prying touches, had nothing to do with the real Uchiha.

This Sasuke would never call him names. This Sasuke would never swat his hand away.

This Sasuke would never threaten to kill him.

He was holding his breath - he only realized that when he was already starting to get dizzy.

He wanted to believe that he was acting out of a sheer instinct when he leaned forward and let his lips hover above Jiraiya's for several seconds before kissing him very, very lightly.

To his utmost surprise, the boy did not turn his head away, did not reject him; instead, Naruto felt him begin to respond before he lost his own nerve and yanked his head back quickly with a frightened, apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry."

"It's alright."

A steady hand grabbed him by his chin, and it took him a while to realize that Jiraiya... Sasuke was actually smiling.

Naruto's heart leaped in his chest. "Aren't you - disgusted?"

"Why would I be disgusted? It's not like I haven't kissed a guy before."

"But you're always going on about babes and boobs and booties and whatnot!"

Sasuke's snort sounded so familiar and so nostalgic that Naruto shuddered with sheer emotion.

"Kiss me again."

It wasn't a request, it was a command, and Naruto was more than happy to oblige - until he was abruptly shoved back rather harshly.

"You're too sloppy." Sasuke wiped his lips with the back of his hand, grimacing.

"Don't tell me what to do, you - !"

"But you obviously don't know anything. Just relax."

Sasuke's hand closed in Naruto's hair, pulling him forward roughly until their lips fused together again, and this time it was the young Uchiha who set the rhythm, biting the protesting Uzumaki ruthlessly when he got too carried away.

"Are you starving, or why is it that you're trying to devour me instead of kissing me properly?"

"You bet I am. Starving. I mean - " Naruto's voice was shaky, and he whimpered when Sasuke's fingers tugged at his hair. "You're hurting me!"

"Then stop fooling around."

Sasuke's tongue dabbed at the seam of Naruto's mouth, and he parted his lips before it hesitantly, allowing his own tongue to slide over the slick invader slowly. The feeling was electrifying and made his whole body tingle; he'd already been hard for quite a while, but now the craving was threatening to grow unbearable, and every move that Sasuke made against him only acted to intensify his hunger.

His hand that had been resting on Sasuke's thigh for support began to slither upwards until it reached his groin and grazed the hard-on straining those loose pants, and Sasuke started, moaning softly into his mouth.

"Are you _sure_ you're not the real thing after all?" Naruto murmured against Sasuke's lips and felt them curve in a smile again.

"I don't know. I think I'm starting to get into the role now."

Naruto's mouth strayed away from Sasuke's, dotting his jawline with chaste kisses before moving downwards on his neck while his other hand - the one that wasn't occupied below - kept playing with the Uchiha's bare chest and hardened nipple leisurely.

"Should we move over to the futons?" Sasuke's voice was breathless, and Naruto rubbed his face against his shoulder.

"What would you like to do?"

"I don't know. What would _you_ like to do?"

"Touch you."

"You've been doing that for the last ten minutes, in case you haven't noticed."

"All of you." Naruto sounded intoxicated, lost in a world of his own, and after a short but pregnant silence, Sasuke suddenly grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him away decisively before standing up and slipping his thumbs under the waistline of his pants.

"Are you ready?"

"...Yeah."

He eased the elastic waistband over his hips and jutting erection enticingly, fully aware of the impact his actions had on the boy before him.

His cock was... Well, it was just as damn perfect as the rest of the Uchiha. It was not quite as long as Naruto's own, but it was definitely straighter, perhaps even a tad bit thicker, too, and Naruto couldn't help but lick his lips when Sasuke stepped out of the garment that had pooled around his ankles on the floor.

"Come here, please."

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the unexpectedly polite request and obeyed, his penis bobbing in rhythm with his steps obscenely, and as soon as he was standing in front of Naruto, the boy wrapped his arms around the his hips, groping his firm buttocks and nuzzling his face dazedly against the lean, muscular abdomen before him.

"You're being silly." Sasuke's voice was stern, but his fingers weaved themselves into Naruto's hair gently.

"I don't care."

"Have you ever... tasted a man before?" Sasuke crooned and turned his hips a fraction so that the silky shaft of his erection touched Naruto's cheek.

"Um, yeah, I've done a bunshin a couple of times. They just tend to disappear as soon as they come, which can be rather annoying and usually ruins the mood."

"A couple of times only?" Sasuke's lips tweaked upwards, and Naruto looked up at him, visibly hurt by the skeptical tone of his voice.

The boy cleared his throat. "Well, it did take me some time before I managed to swallow my pride and decided to give it a try with guys, or myself, too. It was harder than you'd expect, to admit that you're drawn to men as well as to women, you know."

"Yes, I know. Did you ever make him look like the Uchiha?"

"What?"

"The bunshin. Was he - ?"

"No! I mean, no, I didn't have the guts to take it that far."

There was yet another moment of heavy silence until Naruto looked up at Sasuke's thoughtful face again. "Who did you... Was there anyone you were attracted to when you were younger?"

"Are you saying I'm too old to be attracted to anyone right now?" Sasuke's body stiffened, and Naruto let out a nervous laugh.

"You're misunderstanding me on purpose."

Sasuke smiled. "Orochimaru."

"What?!" Naruto threw his head back looking genuinely shocked, and Sasuke pretended to be offended by his reaction.

"What 'what'? He was pretty cute as a kid and could've easily passed for a girl, now that I think about it."

"Don't tell me you had sex with him!"

"No, I never had sex with him per se. But there were moments when we, uh, found solace in each other. He especially liked it when I touched his hair; maybe it was because he was an orphan and needed some comfort, I don't know. Even as we got older, he would... stick close to me when we were doing missions together, and it was he who made me realize that I could actually get turned on by guys, too."

There was a contemplating, cautious look on Sasuke's face now, and suddenly, Naruto began to laugh again.

"I'm sorry, but it's kinda twisted to hear you talk about Orochimaru like that, especially when you look like Sasuke at the same time."

"Oh? Right, he's probably still training with him as we speak."

"Maybe we should forget about the old reptile now, it's getting awkward." Naruto wrinkled his nose and squeezed Sasuke against himself even tighter, his arousal far from forgotten. "You smell nice."

"Hmh." Sasuke rubbed his erection against Naruto's cheek again, and finally, he could feel the boy tilt his head and take tentative, curious lick at it.

"You said we're not in a hurry," Naruto muttered and let his tongue lave at underside of his friend's shaft, making Sasuke gasp and shudder in his hold.

"I'm not exactly urging you on, am I?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure."

Yet another quick taste, and then the head disappeared into Naruto's mouth wholly, making Sasuke to groan out loud and thrust his hips avidly as he wordlessly encouraged the boy to take him in deeper.

"Use your tongue - like that - " Sasuke's back arched slightly, and Naruto's eyes narrowed at the sight.

It was strikingly obvious that the boy had done it before, as he seemed to know exactly how to tease the slit and the rim of the head with his tongue and lips with dead-on precision, but just as it was starting to feel really good, Naruto pulled his head back and chuckled, making his heavily breathing lover frown.

"What?"

"If you turn into Ero-sennin while I'm doing this, I am so going to kill you."

"I wasn't named one of the _legendary_ sannin for nothing." Sasuke's ear-to-ear grin was loaded with self-confidence and conspicuously out of character, but that didn't put Naruto off one bit.

"You're a bastard."

"An adorable bastard, I hope?"

"Be quiet, you're distracting me."

Sasuke mmm'ed when those luscious lips encircled his oversensitive member again, and after a few minutes of excruciating bliss, he was finally forced to push the boy off of himself with a frustrated snarl. "Let me do something for you as well."

"Actually, I was hoping that we could take this a step further."

The uncertain look in those blue eyes made Sasuke's heart melt right away. "And what was it that you had in mind?"

"Sex." Naruto curled his fingers into the black fuzz of pubic hair before him, and Sasuke growled, flashing the boy his teeth.

"Oral sex isn't called 'sex' for nothing."

"Are you being mean on purpose, or does your current appearance have an effect on your personality, too?"

"I - " Sasuke chewed on his lip. "This is getting a bit out of hand, don't you think?"

"I haven't been thinking since the moment I walked in that door."

Naruto's straightforward response made Sasuke laugh quietly, and he knelt down before the sincere, serious-looking boy, capturing his mouth in a long, aggressive kiss before helping him shed his orange t-shirt.

"Lotion. In the brown bag next to the doorway."

He walked over to the futons while Naruto hobbled across the room, trying to get rid off his obstructive pants before delving in to the sennin's bag, and after a couple of minutes of feverish ransacking, he sat back on his haunches, peering at the text written on a small white bottle in his hand.

"Is this it?"

"Yeah. Bring it over."

"Hand lotion?!"

"Sorry, I wasn't exactly planning for this to happen."

"Well, at least it's unscented," Naruto quipped, and Sasuke grinned, pulling the boy to another heated kiss when they finally settled down on the futon together.

They were both feeling exhilarated, and even that was probably an understatement. For a moment, there was nothing but fumbling hands, entangled legs and breathy moans until the initial need for contact evolved to a need to grind, and after a while, Sasuke reached for the bottle that had been forgotten on the floor.

"Can I do it?"

"Hmh?"

"I want to prepare you." Naruto's hold on Sasuke's erection loosened, and his fingers drifted down, stroking the boy's sack briefly along the way.

"I thought _I_ was going to top." Sasuke pursed his lips, and Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Oh. Okay."

The quick change from a perplexed stare to an eager-to-please smile on the boy's face made Sasuke smirk again.

"I was just teasing you. Here, don't be stingy with it, it dries up fairly quickly."

The Uchiha rolled onto his stomach and felt Naruto straddle his thighs, and then there was a cool, lotion-covered finger circling at his opening before it slipped halfway inside almost frictionlessly.

"Does it hurt?" Naruto asked, worried by the nearly inaudible sounds that Sasuke made in the back of his throat when he moved his finger back and forth slowly.

"Not at all."

"Good."

Two fingers, pressing in deeper very carefully, then drawing back again - and this time Sasuke couldn't help but shiver and sigh in raw pleasure.

"It feels better than I remembered."

Naruto hummed, pouring some more lotion down the older boy's crack before adding yet another finger to the play, which made Sasuke buck up against his hand as a response to his movements.

"I think... that's enough," Sasuke rasped at last, and Naruto straightened his back, covering his own member with the makeshift lubricant swiftly before standing up on his knees and touching the small of Sasuke's back hesitantly.

"I want to see your face."

"Fine." The Uchiha flipped himself around just to feel Naruto's lips on his own again, and he pulled his legs up, spreading them wide to accommodate the other boy who was immediately prodding at his opening roughly, making Sasuke screw up his face in discomfort.

"Easy. Easy. You're bigger than I thought."

"Are you trying to flatter or to offend me?" Naruto huffed and placed his hand on the other boy's chest, pushing him back down when he made an effort to lift himself up from the futon.

"Just slow down, give me a minute to adjust. I've never done it with this body before, remember?"

"Mhm."

"That's better." Sasuke's black eyes were quickly clouded with pleasure when Naruto finally managed to press inside, and he rocked his hips unhurriedly, every thrust sliding him deeper into the replica of his friend beneath him.

Except that he wasn't just a replica or a bunshin.

The Sasuke who was so anxiously answering his movements now was flesh and blood and unique and very much alive, and when he'd finally go away, no memories would come flooding back to Naruto's mind.

Because when _this_ Sasuke would be gone, he'd truly be gone, and only Jiraiya could bring him back.

"You okay?" Sasuke's hand touched his face, his thumb rubbing at the moisture that had gathered in the corner of his eye. "Lost the mood already?"

Naruto snorted. "You wish."

It wasn't nearly as frenzied or fervent as he'd dreamed it would be, but it felt divine, every second of it felt divine, Sasuke's hands grasping at his shoulders, his legs wrapped around his waist, their labored, erratic breathing and frantic, almost fierce kisses, Sasuke's little whines and hisses and low, sensual moans, his own uninhibited grunting as each strong, persistent thrust brought him closer to the inevitable, rapidly approaching climax.

"Naruto - wait - I have to - "

Sasuke's hand pushed between their bodies, forcing Naruto to change his position to give him room to wrap his fingers around his length, but a couple of more thrusts later he realized that the new angle actually made it feel even more intense both for him and for the boy who was now stroking himself firmly and panting profusely beneath him.

"Naruto...!"

It wasn't much of a warning, just was a hoarse, impassioned whisper, and the sudden sight of the thick, white stripes of semen on Sasuke's chest along with the euphoric sensation caused by the throbbing muscles that massaged him relentlessly pushed both Naruto's body and mind right to the edge before he allowed himself to get carried away by the rugged waves of bliss with a suppressed, broken cry.

He could feel Sasuke's thighs tremble almost violently, and for a moment he was sure that the henge was about to dispel, but as Sasuke's breathing began to level out gradually, he let out a sigh of relief and lifted his head from the crook of his friend's neck, nibbling at his lower lip and chin playfully.

"You're evil," Sasuke grumbled, and Naruto pressed his nose at the boy's cheek, snickering.

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I'm feeling sticky."

"That's not entirely my fault."

"Don't rub yourself against me, you're spreading it."

"I don't think it really matters at this point anymore."

"You're probably right." Sasuke's voice was weary. "And I just remembered why I haven't used this jutsu in years. It depletes your chakra reserves much faster than a normal henge."

Naruto paled. "You're not going to change back right now, are you?"

"Don't worry, I just need to catch my breath."

They lay face to face, both lost in their thoughts for quite a while, Naruto's fingers toying with Sasuke's hair until the boy broke the silence with a grave look in his dark eyes.

"How do you think we should end this?"

Naruto whined. "You know I'd rather not end it at all."

"I'm starting to think that perhaps I made a mistake."

"Don't." Naruto pushed himself up on his elbows and shook his head. "Don't say that."

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"I'm not feeling bad, alright?!" Naruto couldn't help raising his voice, and he had to take a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down again. "I... I'm really grateful for what you did today. I think this helped me to set things in perspective."

"And you're willing to admit that you're attracted to him." Sasuke's finger traced the lines of Naruto's whiskers one by one.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready admit that to myself now."

"But you're still convinced that Sasuke would never answer your feelings?"

"Kiss me," Naruto breathed, and Sasuke complied immediately, leaning forward and tasting the boy slowly and deliberately before sitting up with a groan.

"I need a shower."

"I'm coming with you."

"There isn't enough room for two." Sasuke touched the partially dried up mess on his chest and stomach with a grimace, but Naruto grasped him by his arm and jerked him up, making the Uchiha yelp in surprise.

"I don't care. Let's go."

The bright, golden patch of sunlight that lit up the tatami floor of the room had moved forward at least a step or two when the two boys finally took a seat on the windowsill again, both dressed in a loose yukata, both contemplative and guarded by the situation that was inescapably unfolding before them.

"I don't want you to dispel the henge in this room," Naruto said quietly, unable to hide the tremor in his voice. "I don't want to see you do it before my eyes."

"I understand."

"Maybe if you'd just take your clothes and go... "

"Hmh."

Naruto's could feel his pulse quicken, and the room was already swimming in his eyes at the mere thought of having to watch his friend - his lover - leave any moment now.

"Naruto, come here." Sasuke's voice was warm, and the boy moved over to lean against his chest. "You have to keep in mind that he won't be any less gone after this than he's always been."

"I know."

"Feel my chakra. It will be the same when I'll come back."

"I know."

Naruto closed his eyes when the older boy kissed the top of his head, and they stayed still for a little while longer until Sasuke stirred, and Naruto moved back to let him stand up, watching him discard the yukata on the floor and pull on the gray pants again.

"I need to borrow one of your t-shirts."

"Sure, go ahead." Naruto's throat grew tight when Sasuke picked a shirt from his backpack and put it on leisurely, his black hair still wet from the pool and the shower, his supple, muscular frame stretching beautifully before it was covered by the dark fabric. The boy then stepped over to a pile of clothes that Naruto hadn't noticed before and gathered them to plastic bag that had been lying on the floor next to them.

Jiraiya's clothes.

"Will you... Will you get back right away?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke stood upright, brushing some stray bangs off his face.

"Do you want me to?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather be alone for a while."

"Alright." The Uchiha walked across the room, stopping briefly in front of the boy who was staring past him, forlorn and shaken.

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

Naruto nodded and felt Sasuke tousle his hair one more time before the boy headed over to the door.

No.

He couldn't just let him go, not like this, no -

"Sasuke! Wait!" he cried, rushing after his friend who swung around looking like he'd already been prepared for Naruto's outburst.

One more embrace, one more heated, desperate kiss before Sasuke untangled himself from Naruto's grasp determinedly and walked out of the door, shutting it quietly behind him, and when Naruto pressed his ear against it, he could hear the Uchiha's fading steps in the corridor as he walked away.

He collapsed on the floor, swaying back and forth on his hands and knees, but there were no tears, just strangled gasps of grief and distress, and it took all his willpower to get his emotions under control.

He crawled over to the futons and buried his face in Jiraiya's pillow, and even when the faint traces of Sasuke's scent filled his nostrils, the tears stubbornly refused to come.

"Sasuke..."

It was closer to six in the afternoon when the sound of the door opening started Naruto awake, and he jumped up from the futon, stumbled and fell on his face just to see Jiraiya's large feet appear before him.

"Hey, easy there. Are you hurt?"

Naruto shook his head and rubbed his eyes groggily before glancing up at the man who examined his appearance with a concerned look on his face.

"You look like a mess."

"I was asleep. How long did you...?"

"Two hours. I hope this will make you feel better." Jiraiya handed the boy a plastic bag with the familiar ramen stand logo on it, and Naruto gave a brave effort to smile.

"At least you haven't been crying, have you?"

"No."

"Did you make a bunshin?"

Jiraiya's question brought a puzzled look to the boy's face before he caught on to what the sennin was getting at.

"No. Didn't even cross my mind."

There was a warm hand in his hair, and Naruto pushed himself up, throwing himself in those strong arms, and as they wrapped around him tightly, he felt the man's chakra resonate with his own, comforting and reassuring, and as much as he hated to admit it, it made him feel better right away.

"Would you do it?" Naruto mumbled against the older man's neck.

"Hmm?"

"Would you turn back into him again if I asked you to?"

"It depends." Jiraiya's hand stroked up and down the boy's back, soothing. "But to be honest, and considering the state of mind you're in right now, I don't think it would be wise."

"I know. But it hurts."

"It hurts me, too. It was... nostalgic to be young again, if only for a little while."

Naruto's brow furrowed at the careful choice of words, but he remained silent until the man patted his shoulder kindly.

"The food is getting cold."

"Yeah... Sorry."

They hardly exchanged a word during their modest but delicious dinner, and later that night, they shared the onsen together as usual, although Naruto was convinced that Jiraiya's gaze raked his naked body more often than before. It didn't bother him, though; on the contrary, he found himself welcoming, if not even basking in the attention, which confused him to a degree, but he didn't let it make him any more upset than he already was.

The following night, however, turned out to be a lot harder than he'd expected.

He could still clearly smell Sasuke's scent on Jiraiya's pillow that he'd snatched to himself when he'd curled up under the covers, and the sheets reeked of sex, as they'd decided to leave them be until the ryokan staff would change the linens in the morning. But when those two distinctive odors penetrated Naruto's dreams, they filled his mind with no other than merciless images of Sasuke - taunting him and hurting him over and over again.

The sparring session that had taken a violent turn at the schoolyard.

The clash at the hospital roof.

The final battle in the Valley of the End.

Was his subconscious trying to tell him something?

Why show him such images of sorrow and regret after their meeting had been filled with nothing but mutual joy and pleasure?

Except -

Except that the boy he'd slept with hadn't been Sasuke at all.

He woke up to the familiar sound of Jiraiya shuffling through his papers but didn't bother to get up until there was a polite knock at the door and the maid came in to tidy their room.

He spent most of the morning occupied with a complicated series of seals he'd been trying to memorize for weeks until they nearly made him scream in frustration, and eventually, he threw the pile of scrolls back into his backpack and turned his interest in the sennin instead.

"You're not angry with me, are you?"

Jiraiya looked up from his manuscript, surprised. "Of course not. What on earth gave you that impression?"

"You're doing your best to ignore me."

"And you hate to be ignored." The older man wiggled his eyebrows, and Naruto growled.

"You're twisting my words again."

"Would it put you at ease if I told you that I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed by what happened yesterday, too?"

"Well, you've done a damn good job at hiding it so far." Naruto kept his eyes firmly on the tatami floor, his cheeks heating up for no apparent reason.

"What would you like me to do for you then?"

"I want you to kiss me."

He'd blurted the words out before his brain caught up with the situation, but despite the sudden flash of panic that swept through his body, he did his best to stay calm and see how the old man would respond.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

The sennin set his brush aside carefully, stood up and walked over to his young companion who still refused to look up at him, then sat down cross-legged in front of him and leaned forward, taking the boy's hands in his own.

Their lips met halfway, and Jiraiya pecked at the boy's mouth playfully before coaxing him into a deeper kiss, which Naruto answered keenly, but to the sennin's disappointment, the boy shook his head immediately after Jiraiya had pulled back again.

"No. It feels fantastic, but it doesn't feel _right_."

"Pity."

"Why?"

Jiraiya grinned slyly. "I could easily fall for you, you know."

Naruto's blue eyes widened in astonishment before he sobered up and smacked his sensei on the arm, laughing.

"I told you, you are outright scary sometimes."

"What would you like for lunch, by the way? And please, I'd rather have something more nutritious than ramen today."

How could the old man change subjects so fast? Naruto's gaze lingered on Jiraiya's smiling face before him, and he did his best to decipher his body language, but the sennin was impossible to read, his cheerful and carefree mask flawless and unwavering.

They found themselves in a popular yakiniku restaurant less than an hour later, their conversation flowing freely this time as they reminisced about Konoha and the first lessons that Naruto had learned from the sennin during the chuunin exams, and despite the startling realization that he was probably the only genin left in his age group, Naruto felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I think I know what I want to do about Sasuke now."

"Really?" Jiraiya took a sip from his beer before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yeah. I still want to find him and bring him back to Konoha, but... more than anything, I want him to know that he's not alone, that he has friends he can trust and who will be there for him when things get rough." Naruto poked the lonely piece of broccoli on his plate with his chopsticks.

"That's all fine and good, but what if he doesn't need any of that? What if all he has left is his own anger and suffering? You can't exactly force him to see things your way."

Jiraiya's voice had turned to a soft rumble, and Naruto twitched when he realized it went straight to his groin.

"Then I'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself - or others - any more than he already has."

"So you intend to be his friend rather than his lover?"

Naruto looked up at the man who stared back at him, serious.

"I don't see how he could - or even should - be my lover. He's not - I'm not - I - " Naruto's voice died down.

"You're young, so it's understandable that you're not fully aware of your preferences yet. But at least now you know that it's perfectly acceptable and even fun to be able to swing both ways."

"Fun? Nah, it's not fun. It just makes things even more complicated than they already are."

Naruto reached out across the table to steal the two last strips of meat from Jiraiya's plate and placed them over the hot coals with a sigh.

"Have you been happy traveling with me?"

Jiraiya's question took the boy off guard.

"What? Yes. Erm. Yes, I think I've been very happy traveling with you."

"I'm glad. Your good opinion means a lot to me."

Jiraiya's words made him blush fiercely, but he shook them off and challenged the man to a chopstick battle over the leftover meat on the grill instead.

They parted their ways in front of the restaurant, as Jiraiya returned back to the ryokan and Naruto decided to take a short walk around the area, and half an hour later, he found himself loitering on top of a feisty little waterfall that offered a good view over the town and the green valley below.

Jiraiya.

Sasuke.

Sasuke-Jiraiya.

Hard, brown nipples, eager, skilled lips...

Naruto bit down on his knuckles with a groan.

_I could easily fall for you, you know._

How old was the sennin anyway? Fifty-four? Fifty-five?

Did his age really matter?

_Even if she dropped the henge? - Even without the henge, yes._

Such a lavish meal, and he was still hungry.

Hungry for more.

Naruto took a deep breath, dashed forward and leaped off the slab of stone he'd been standing on, hurling his body through the air with calculated ease and landing on the rock terrace below like a big, orange cat with a gleeful smile on his face.

It was time to head back to the tiger's cave.

Jiraiya had already bathed and sat by his small desk writing when Naruto walked into the room, but the boy swallowed his disappointment and touched the man's shoulder affectionately before stepping out on the porch. After stripping off his clothes and dropping them in a pile on the floor, he ran boldly across the sun speckled lawn and plunged into the pool that was, luckily, empty.

The green heat welcomed him again, clarifying his thoughts and strengthening his newly found resolve even further, and when he slipped back in a refreshing soak and a quick shower later, Jiraiya gave him a long, curious stare.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, never better."

Naruto pulled one of the offensive scrolls out of his rucksack and settled comfortably behind the sennin's back, leaning against him like he always had - especially when he'd been younger - and for the next few hours, they worked in companionable silence until it was time for dinner.

Watching Jiraiya eat, it suddenly occurred to him that he'd never really _looked_ at the older man before.

His towering height and broad shoulders, white eyebrows and thick, black lashes.

His extremely well-defined, toned muscles.

The large, angry scar on his chest - an eternal reminder of their little experiment that had taught them not to tamper with the kyuubi's seal without proper precautions.

The candid, thoughtful gaze that met his own.

"Sorry about the light meal, but I figured the yakiniku was more than enough red meat for the day."

"I don't mind," Naruto said, slurping his miso with a satisfied grin. "This is great."

"Looks like it'll be raining for the next day or two."

"Hmh." Naruto set the soup bowl back on the table and leaned his chin on his hands with a sigh. "Why did you let Orochimaru go?"

Jiraiya's fingers that had been peeling a large prawn stilled.

"I guess I was too busy living my own life to pay attention to his."

"Do you think you could've stopped him from leaving?"

"I have given it some thought over the years, but the answer is no. He was too greedy for his own good, so he brought it all upon himself."

"But what if... what if he was in love with you?"

"Had he been in love with me, he would never have forsaken me - or Tsunade - the way he did."

"I think you might be wrong about that."

They measured each other across the table until Jiraiya reached for the earthy-looking ceramic teapot with a frown.

"You must understand that _I_ was never in love with _him_. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever been in love with anyone or anything until - "

The hair on the back of Naruto's neck bristled. "Until?"

A smile flickered across the sennin's face.

"Until I discovered writing."

"Very funny," Naruto said gruffly.

The bulky, lead-colored rain clouds arrived at nightfall just as Jiraiya had predicted, the heavy drops bombarding the roof of the building relentlessly, and eventually, Naruto retired to his futon, lounging under the covers and browsing through a random magazine until the sennin put his papers aside, turned off the lights and followed the boy to bed.

The darkness was noisy now, the steady thrum of the rain filling their senses, and the long hours of latent anxiety began to take their toll on Naruto who found himself tossing and turning until he had no choice but to voice his thoughts.

"I still miss him."

"I know."

"Are you absolutely sure that you can't...?"

"I'm sorry."

"Damn."

There was a rustle of clothing, and then Jiraiya could feel the boy's warmth against his back.

"May I stay here for a while?"

"Be my guest."

"Just a couple of more weeks, and we'll be back in Konoha." The tone of Naruto's voice was unmistakably wistful, and Jiraiya couldn't help but smile against his pillow.

"Mm-hm."

"You know, if I was a little older, I think I might fall for you, too."

"Pardon?" Jiraiya lifted his head and glanced over his shoulder.

"Nothing. Good night."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and scrambled around under the covers until his tall frame pressed against the boy who peered up at him, questioning.

"You really shouldn't say such irresponsible things." Jiraiya's lips hovered above Naruto's, the boy's breath hot puffs on his skin, and in the dim glow from the garden lights outside he could see a smirk spread across the boy's face before an arm was wrapped around his neck and he was pulled down so that their mouths finally came together.

It was a lovely kiss.

It was a soft, tender, caring kiss, quite different from the one they'd shared earlier that day, and encouraged by Naruto's enthusiastic response, Jiraiya let his hand to caress the familiar contours of the boy's body through his yukata. He felt clumsy, much clumsier than before when he'd pretended to be the young Uchiha, and he wondered why his size bothered him now that he was touching a male companion, as most of the women he'd slept with had been small - if not even tiny - and yet that fact had never made him lose his nerve before.

"You're huge." Naruto's voice was husky.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"No, I mean your dick."

Jiraiya started when the boy rubbed his thigh against his hard-on shamelessly.

"Well, no one has ever complained, so..."

"I will, if it doesn't fit into me."

"Oh no, we're not going to have sex tonight." Jiraiya let his lips brush the boy's forehead briefly. "I know you're young and horny and impatient, but I'm still feeling drained and - "

"And you think I'm too young." Naruto's fingers entwined in the older man's thick, white hair.

"Actually, I'm more concerned that I might hurt you."

"I heal fast." Naruto pressed his lips just below his chin, trailing his kisses all the way down to his collarbone, and Jiraiya shuddered.

"I'd also like you to wait a couple of more days to make certain that the one you want to make love with is _me_."

"So you think that I want you now because of what happened yesterday?"

"Yes."

The room was quiet for a moment, and Jiraiya stroked Naruto's hair and face gently until the boy nodded.

"Alright. We'll wait. But," he put a finger against Jiraiya's lips, "only for a couple of days, okay?"

"Fine."

They regarded each other warily until and Naruto's hands moved up to trace the red markings on the sennin's face.

"You may find this hard to believe, but as much as I wanted to, I never forgot that it was really you."

"Is that so?"

"And I guess you were probably quite handsome when you were younger. Hey, don't get me wrong, you're still a looker, but... "

Jiraiya's brown eyes narrowed threateningly, and Naruto took it as a sign that it was probably time to kiss him again.

"Thank you," he whispered when their lips finally parted and he buried his face against the older man's broad, smooth chest. "For everything."

"You're welcome, kid."

"And if you really don't fit, we can always switch."

Jiraiya let out a pained groan and Naruto chuckled, breathing in the man's scent as he was gradually lulled into drowsiness by the sennin's body heat against his own.

Henge or no henge, Jiraiya would always be Jiraiya.


End file.
